User interface system

ABSTRACT

A user interface system for receiving a user input that includes sheet that defines a surface and at least partially defines a fluid vessel arranged underneath the surface, a volume of fluid within the fluid vessel, a displacement device that influences the volume of the fluid within the fluid vessel to expand and retract at least a portion of the fluid vessel, thereby deforming a particular region of the surface, and an electrical sensor coupled to the sheet that receives an input provided by a user that inwardly deforms the surface of the sheet and that includes a first conductor and a second conductor that are electrically coupled to each other with an electrical property that changes as the distance between the first and second conductors changes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/975,329, filed on 21 Dec. 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/288,824, filed on 21 Dec. 2009, and which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/497,622, filed on 3 Jul. 2009, all of which are incorporated in their entireties by this reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are a top view of the user interface system of a preferred embodiments and a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a button array in accordance to the preferred embodiments, respectively.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c are cross-sectional views of the retracted, extended, and user input modes of the preferred embodiments, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet, the fluid vessel, the sensor, the processor, and the display of the preferred embodiments.

FIGS. 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c is a cross-sectional view of a first variation of the sheet split into a layer portion and a substrate portion with fluid outlets from a side view and a top view and a second variation of the sheet split into a layer portion and a substrate portion with a fluid outlet, respectively.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are cross-sectional views of the sheet, the fluid vessel, the sensor, and a displacement device that modifies the existing fluid in the cavity, with the cavity in a retracted volume setting and an expanded volume setting, respectively.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the sheet, the fluid vessel, the sensor, and a displacement device of a first example that displaces additional fluid into the cavity.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the sheet, the fluid vessel, the sensor, and a displacement device of a second example that displaces additional fluid into the cavity.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b are schematic views of the sheet, the fluid vessel, the sensor, and a displacement device of a third example that displaces additional fluid into and out of the cavity, with the cavity in a retracted volume setting and an expanded volume setting, respectively.

FIGS. 9 a-12 b are top and side views of a button deformation, a slider deformation, a slider ring deformation, a guide deformation, and a pointing stick deformation, respectively.

FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of a resistive touch layer.

FIGS. 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c are schematic representations of a variation of the first preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 15 a, and 15 b are schematic representations of a variation of the second preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 16 a, and 16 b are schematic representations of a variation of the second preferred embodiment with a fluid outlet layer.

FIGS. 17 a and 17 b are schematic representations of a variation of the third preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 18 a-18 c are schematic representations of a variation of the fourth preferred embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the user interface system 100 of the preferred embodiments includes a sheet 102 that defines a surface 115 and a fluid vessel 127, a volume of a fluid 112 contained within the fluid vessel 127, a displacement device 130 that modifies the volume of the fluid 112 to expand at least a portion of the fluid vessel 127 (thereby outwardly deforming a particular region 113 of the surface 115), and a sensor 140 that receives an input provided by a user that inwardly deforms the surface 115. As shown in FIG. 3, the user interface system may also include a processor 160 that functions to detect the user input and/or to evaluate the user input received by the resistive sensor 140. The processor 160 is preferably coupled to the sensor 140 to receive signals from the resistive sensor 140. The processor 160 may also be coupled to the displacement device 130 to send signals to the displacement device 130. The user interface system 100 may also include a display 150 coupled to the sheet 102 and adapted to output images to the user. In this variation, the processor 160 may also be coupled to the display 150 to control the display 150. The sensor 140 may also be located in between the sheet 102 and the display 150 and may alternatively include a plurality of sensor components that are located in various locations within the user interface system 100. However, any other suitable arrangement of the components of the system 100 may be used. As shown in FIGS. 1 b and 2, the fluid vessel 127 is preferably a cavity 125 and the displacement device 130 preferably influences the volume of fluid within the cavity 125 to expand and retract the cavity 125. The fluid vessel 127 may alternatively be a channel 138 or a combination of a channel 138 and a cavity 125, as shown in FIG. 4 a. The fluid vessel 127 may also include a second cavity 125 b that contains a volume of fluid 112 and the displacement device 130 preferably also influences the volume of the fluid within the second cavity 125 b to expand and retract the second cavity 125 b, thereby deforming a second particular region 113 of the surface 115. The displacement device 130 preferably influences the volume of fluid 112 within the second cavity 125 b independently of the cavity 125, but may alternatively influence the volumes of fluid 112 within both cavity and second cavity 125 and 125 b substantially concurrently.

Alternatively, the user interface enhancement system 100 may include a second displacement device 130 that functions to influence the volume of fluid 112 within the second cavity 125 b to expand and retract the second cavity 125 b, thereby deforming a second particular region 113 of the surface. The second cavity 125 b is preferably similar or identical to the cavity 125, but may alternatively be any other suitable type of cavity.

The user interface system 100 of the preferred embodiments has been specifically designed to be used as the user interface for an electronic device, more preferably in an electronic device that features an adaptive user interface. The electronic device, which may or may not include a display, may be an automotive console, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a television, a radio, a desk phone, a mobile phone, a PDA, a personal navigation device, a personal media player, a camera, a watch, a remote, a mouse, a trackpad, or a keyboard. The user interface system 100 may, however, be used as the user interface for any suitable device that interfaces with a user in a tactile and/or visual manner. As shown in FIG. 2, the surface 115 of the user interface system 100 preferably remains flat until a tactile guidance is to be provided at the location of the particular region 113. The surface 115 of the user interface system 100 may also be deformed when a user input is required. At that time, the displacement device 130 may increase the volume of the fluid within the fluid vessel 127 (or at the cavity 125) to deform and/or expand the particular region 113 outward, preferably forming a button-like shape. With the button-like shape, the user will have tactile guidance when navigating for the expanded particular region 113 and will have tactile feedback when applying force onto the particular region 113 to provide input. The resistive sensor 140 preferably senses the force that inwardly deforms the particular region 113, but may alternatively sense the force that inwardly deforms any other suitable region along the surface 115. However, any other arrangement of the user interface system 100 suitable to providing tactile guidance and/or detecting user input may be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user interface system 100 may be display 150 that displays an image. As described above, the volume of fluid 112 and/or the resistive sensor 140 preferably cooperates with the sheet 102 to transmit an image through the sheet 102 without substantial obstruction. Alternatively, the volume of fluid 112 may cooperate with the sheet 102 to transmit an image through the sheet 102 without substantial obstruction only when the fluid vessel 127 is in a particular state, for example, when the fluid vessel 127 is in the retracted state or when the fluid vessel is in the expanded state. Because the deformation of the particular region 113 functions to provide tactile guidance to the user, the user may not need the visual cues from the image to operate the user interface when tactile guidance is present. However, the volume of fluid 112 and the sheet 102 may cooperate to transmit an image through the sheet 102 without substantial obstruction in any other suitable arrangement. Obstruction to image transmission may be defined as any manipulation of the image that provides a visual interruption of the image in reaching the user. Obstruction may include blocking a substantial portion of the image, substantially dimming the image, and/or substantially distorting the image unintelligibly. Manipulations to an image that are preferably not considered obstruction to image transmission may include distortion of the image while allowing the image to be substantially visually intelligible, substantially uniformly tinting the image, and/or substantially uniformly enlarging the image. In a first variation, to decrease distortion of the image, the volume of fluid 112 and the sheet 102 preferably cooperate to allow the light from the display to reach the user's eyes at substantially the same angle from the sheet 102 as directly from the display 150 such that an image from the display is seen through the sheet 102 as it would be seen directly from the display. In a second variation, the volume of fluid 112 and sheet 102 may function to substantially uniformly refract light from the display to maintain substantially the same relative proportions between different regions of the image as seen by the user. For example, the volume of fluid 112 and the sheet 102 may cooperatively function to substantially magnify the image from the display of the device 10 thus increasing the size of the image as seen by the user uniformly or increasing the size of one portion of the image more than another portion. In a third variation, the volume of fluid 112 and sheet 102 may cooperate to refract light from different portions of the image differently (i.e., “warp” the image) to increase the magnification of certain portions of the image. For example, the fluid 112 and the sheet 102 may cooperate to provide a fish-eye type magnification to the image to substantially increase visibility of certain portions of the image. In the first, second, and third variations, the volume of fluid 112 and sheet 102 are preferably each of substantially the same index of refraction to maintain substantially one refraction angle of the light from the display as the light transmits through the sheet 102. Alternatively, the index of refraction of the volume of fluid 112 and the sheet 102 may be substantially different but the fluid 112 and sheet 102 preferably cooperate to decrease detection of the different refraction angles by the user. For example, the volume of fluid 112 may occupy a substantially small percentage of the thickness and/or width of the sheet 102 such that the change in refraction angle in the fluid 112 is substantially undetectable by the user. In a second example, the walls of the channel 138 and/or cavity 125 may be arranged to compensate for differences in the index of refraction between the fluid 112 and the sheet 102, for example, by positioning the walls at a particular angle relative to the sheet 102. Both the sheet 102 and the fluid 112 are preferably substantially transparent to decrease changes in the color and/or intensity of the image. Similarly, the sheet 102 and fluid 112 preferably both include substantially similar light absorptive properties, birefringence properties, and/or chromaticity properties. However, any other suitable translucency, transparency level, absorptive, refraction, and/or any other suitable light transmission properties may be used for the sheet 102 and fluid 112. Similarly, any other suitable method may be used to decrease obstruction to the transmission of an image.

1. The Sheet

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet 102 of the preferred embodiment functions to provide the surface 115 that interfaces with a user in a tactile manner and to at least partially a fluid vessel 127. As described above, the fluid vessel 127 is preferably a cavity 125 (as shown in FIGS. 1 b and 2), but may alternatively be a channel 138 or a combination of a cavity 125 and a channel 138 (as shown in FIG. 4 a). The surface 115 is preferably continuous, such that when swiping a finger across the surface 115 a user would not feel any interruptions or seams. Alternatively, the surface 115 may include features that facilitate the user in distinguishing one region from another. The surface 115 is also preferably planar. The surface 115 is preferably arranged in a flat plane, but may alternatively be arranged in a curved plane or on a first plane and then wrapped around to a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane, or any other suitable arrangement. The surface 115 may alternatively include lumps, bumps, depressions, textures, or may be a surface of any other suitable type or geometry. The surface 115 also functions to deform upon an expansion of the cavity 125, and to preferably “relax” or “un-deform” back to a normal planar state upon retraction of the cavity 125. In a first version, the sheet 102 contains a first portion that is elastic and a second portion that is relatively inelastic. In a second version, sheet 102 is relatively more elastic in a first portion and relatively less elastic in a second portion and is deformed by the expanded cavity 125 in the relatively more elastic portion. In the first and second version, the first portion and the second portion may be located across the length and width of the sheet 102. Alternatively, the first portion and the second portion may be located along the thickness of the sheet 102. In a third version, the sheet 102 is generally uniformly elastic. In fourth version, the sheet 102 includes or is made of a smart material, such as Nickel Titanium (commonly referred to as “Nitinol”), that has a selective shape and/or variable elasticity or a shape memory polymer that maybe activated, for example, by ultra violet light or any other suitable type of activation, to have selective shape and/or variable elasticity. The sheet 102 is preferably optically transparent, but may alternatively be translucent or opaque. In addition to the transparency, the sheet 102 preferably has the following properties: a high transmission, a low haze, a wide viewing angle, a minimal amount of back reflectance upon the display (if the display is included with the user interface system 100), minimal or low glare in ambient and/or daylight condition, scratch resistant, chemical resistant, stain resistant, relatively smooth (not tacky) to the touch, no out-gassing, and/or relatively low degradation rate when exposed to ultraviolet light. The material may also include properties that change during the usage of the device, for example, in the variation that utilizes shape memory polymer, usage of the device in an environment that includes a wavelength or wavelengths of light that may change the properties of the shape memory polymer desirably. For example, certain parts of the material may change elasticity when exposed to UV light. In a second example, the material may change shape. In this example, the volume of fluid 112 within the fluid vessel 127 preferably substantially conforms to the changed shape of the material. This may allow for light to transmit through the fluid 112 and the material without substantial obstruction. However, any other suitable dynamic physical property may be used. This change in the properties may be temporary, in particular, once the wavelength of light is no longer present, the material preferably reverts back to the original state. Alternatively, the change may be permanent. In this variation, the change is preferably reversible, for example, the material may revert back to the original state when exposed to another wavelength of light. In the variation wherein the sheet 102 is placed over a display, the sheet 102 may also function to decrease reflection and/or refraction of light emitting from the display. However, the sheet 102 may include any other suitable material property.

The sheet 102 is preferably made from a suitable elastic material, including polymers and silicone-based and urethane elastomers such as poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or RTV Silicone (e.g., Momentive RTV Silicone 615). The sheet 102 may also include coatings to provide properties such as smoothness (for example, low coefficient of friction), hydrophobic and oleophobic characteristics, scratch resistance, scratch concealing, and/or resistance to debris retention. The sheet 102 may also include coatings to provide desired optical properties, such as anti-reflection and anti-glare. Coatings may be applied on the surface 115, but may alternatively be applied on any other suitable surface of the sheet 102. In the version wherein the sheet 102 includes a first portion that is elastic and a second portion that is relatively inelastic, the inelastic portion is preferably made from a material including polymers or glass, for example, elastomers, silicone-based organic polymers such as poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS), thermoset plastics such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and photocurable solvent resistant elastomers such as perfluropolyethers. The sheet 102 may, however, be made of any suitable material that provides the surface 115 that deforms and defines a fluid vessel 127.

The sheet 102 may be manufactured using well-known techniques for micro-fluid arrays to create one or more cavities and/or micro channels. The sheet 102 may be constructed using multiple layers from the same material or from different suitable materials, for example, the sheet 102 may include a layer portion 110 of one material that defines the surface 115 and a substrate portion 120 of a second material (as shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 c). As shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, the substrate portion 120 preferably defines a fluid outlet 116 that allows fluid to flow between the channel 138 and the cavity 125 to deform and un-deform a particular region of the surface 113. The fluid outlet 116 may be formed into the substrate portion 120, for example, the fluid outlet 116 may be a series of bores that are formed into the substrate in between the channel 138 and the cavity 125 as shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b or an open orifice between the cavity 125 and the channel 138 as shown in FIG. 4 c, but may alternatively be a property of the material, for example, the substrate portion 120 may include a porous material that includes a series of interconnected cavities that allow fluid to flow through the substrate portion 120. The substrate portion 120 may define any suitable number of fluid outlets 116 that are of any suitable size and shape. The substrate portion 120 may also include a fluid outlet layer that defines the fluid outlets 116 that is separate from substrate portion 120 and arranged in between the substrate portion 120 and layer portion 110. However, any other suitable arrangement of the fluid outlets 116 may be used. As shown in FIG. 4 b, the portion of the substrate portion 120 (or fluid outlet layer) that includes the fluid outlets 116 may also function to provide a support for the layer portion 110 to substantially prevent the layer portion 110 from substantially depressing into the channel 138 when force is applied over the particular region 113. However, the substrate portion 120 may be arranged in any other suitable manner and may provide support for the layer portion 110 in any other suitable way.

The layer portion 110 is preferably attached to the substrate portion 120 (or fluid outlet layer) at an attachment point 117 that at least partially defines the size and/or shape of the particular region 113. In other words, the attachment point 117 functions to define a border between a deformable particular region of the surface 113 and the rest of the surface 115 and the size of the particular region 113 is substantially independent of the size of the cavity 124 and/or the channel 138. The attachment point 117 may be a series of continuous points that define an edge, but may alternatively be a series of non-continuous points. The attachment point 117 may be formed using, for example, adhesive, chemical bonding, surface activation, welding, or any other suitable attachment material and/or method. The method and material used to form the attachment point 117 is preferably of a similar optical property as the layer portion 110 and the substrate portion 120, but may alternatively be of any other optical property. Other portions of the layer portion 110 and substrate portion 120 not corresponding to a particular region of the surface 113 may also be adhered using similar or identical materials and methods to the attachment point 117. Alternatively, the layer portion 110 and substrate portion 120 may be left unattached in other portions not corresponding to a particular region of the surface 113. However, the sheet 102 may be arranged in any other suitable manner.

2. The Displacement Device

The displacement device 130 of the preferred embodiment functions to influence the volume of the fluid 112 to expand at least a portion of the fluid vessel 127 from the retracted volume setting to the extended volume setting and, ultimately, deforming a particular region 113 of the surface 115. The displacement device 130 preferably functions to expand at least a portion of the fluid vessel 127, but may alternatively function to contract at least a portion or any other suitable manipulation of at least a portion of the fluid vessel 127. The displacement device 130 preferably modifies the volume of the fluid 112 by (1) modifying the volume of the existing fluid in the fluid vessel 127, or (2) adding and removing fluid to and from the fluid vessel 127. The displacement device 130 may, however, influence the volume of the fluid 112 by any suitable device or method. Modifying the volume of the existing fluid in the fluid vessel 127 may have an advantage of lesser complexity, while adding and removing fluid to and from the fluid vessel 127 may have an advantage of maintaining the deformation of the surface 115 without the need for additional energy (if valves or other lockable mechanisms are used). When used with a mobile phone device, the displacement device 130 preferably increases the volume of the fluid 112 within the fluid vessel 127 by approximately 0.003-0.1 ml. When used with this or other applications, however, the volume of the fluid may be increased (or possibly decreased) by any suitable amount. The variations of the displacement device 130 described below refer to modifying the volume of the fluid to expand the cavity 125, but may be applied to any other suitable portion of the fluid vessel 127.

Modifying the existing fluid in the cavity 125 may be accomplished in several ways. In a first example, as shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, the fluid may be an expandable fluid and the displacement device 130 may include a heating element that heats the expandable fluid, thereby expanding the volume of the existing fluid in the cavity 125 (according to the ideal gas law, PV=nRT). The heating element, which may be located within, adjacent the cavity 125, or any other location suitable to providing heat to the fluid, is preferably a resistive heater (made of a material such as TaN or Nichrome). In a second example, the fluid may include an expandable substance, such as plastic expandable microspheres. In a third example, the fluid may include paraffin. While these are three examples, the displacement device 130 can be any other suitable device or method that ultimately expands the cavity 125 from the retracted volume setting to the extended volume setting by modifying the existing fluid in the cavity 125.

Adding and removing fluid to and from the cavity 125 may also be accomplished in several ways. In a first example, as shown in FIG. 6, the displacement device 130 includes a reservoir 132 to hold additional fluid and a pump 134 to displace fluid from the reservoir 132 to the cavity 125. The reservoir 132 is preferably remote from the cavity 125 (and connected by a channel 138 or other suitable device), but may alternatively be located adjacent the cavity 125 and connected directly to the cavity 125. A portion of the channel 138 is preferably a micro-fluidic channel (having cross-section dimensions in the range of 1 micrometer to 1000 micrometers), but depending on the size and costs constraints of the user interface system 100, the channel 138 may have any suitable dimensions. The pump 134 is preferably a micro-pump (such as pump #MDP2205 from ThinXXS Microtechnology AG of Zweibrucken, Germany or pump #mp5 from Bartels Mikrotechnik GmbH of Dortmund, Germany), but may be any suitable device to pump fluid from one location to another. The pump 134 is preferably located at a distance from the cavity 125, and is preferably connected to the cavity 125 by a channel 138. To extend the cavity 125 from a retracted volume setting to the extended volume setting, the pump 134 displaces fluid from a reservoir 132, through the channel 138, and into the cavity 125. To retract the cavity 125 from the extended volume setting to the retracted volume setting, the pump 134 preferably “vents” or pumps in a reverse direction from the cavity 125 to the reservoir 132. In a second example, as shown in FIG. 7, the displacement device 130 includes a reservoir 132 to hold additional fluid, a first pump 134 to displace fluid from the reservoir 132 to the cavity 125, a second pump 136 to displace fluid from the cavity 125 to the reservoir 132, a first valve located between the first pump 134 and the cavity 125, and a second valve located between the cavity 125 and the second pump 136. To extend the cavity 125 from the retracted volume setting to the extended volume setting, the first valve is opened, the second valve is closed, and the first pump 134 displaces fluid from the reservoir 132, through the channel 138, and into the cavity 125. To retract the cavity 125 from the extended position to the retracted position, the first valve is closed, the second valve is opened, and the second pump 136 displaces fluid from the cavity 125, through the channel 138, and into the reservoir 132. In other respects, the second example is similar to the first example above. The user interface system 100 may omit the second pump 136 and simply retract the cavity 125 from the extended volume setting to the retracted volume setting by opening the second valve and allowing the cavity 125 to vent or “drain” into the reservoir 132 (potentially assisted by the elasticity of the sheet 102 returning to an un-deformed state). In a third example, as shown in FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, the displacement device 130 includes an actuator, such as a linear actuator, that displaces fluid into and out of the cavity 125. To extend the cavity 125 from a retracted volume setting to the extended volume setting, as shown in FIG. 8 a, the linear actuator displaces fluid through the channel 138 and into the cavity 125. To retract the cavity 125 from the extended volume setting to the retracted volume setting, as shown in FIG. 8 b, the linear actuator draws fluid in a reverse direction from the cavity 125 to the reservoir 132. In other respects, the third example is similar to the second example above. While these are three examples, the displacement device 130 can be any other suitable device or method that ultimately expands the cavity 125 from the retracted volume setting to the extended volume setting by adding and removing fluid to and from the cavity 125.

Although the cause of the deformation of a particular region 113 of the surface 115 has been described as a modification of the volume of the fluid in the cavity 125, it is possible to describe the cause of the deformation as an increase in the pressure below the surface 115 relative to the pressure above the surface 115. When used with a mobile phone device, an increase of approximately 0.1-10.0 psi between the pressure below the sheet 102 relative to the pressure above the sheet 102, is preferably enough to deform a particular region 113 of the surface 115. When used with this or other applications, however, the modification of the pressure may be increased (or possibly decreased) by any suitable amount.

3. The Deformation of the Surface

As shown in FIG. 2, The fluid vessel 127 of the preferred embodiment functions to hold a volume of fluid 112 and to have at least two volumetric settings: a retracted volume setting (as shown in FIG. 2 a for the variation of the fluid vessel 127 that includes a cavity 125) and an expanded volume setting (shown in FIG. 2 b for the variation of the fluid vessel 127 that includes a cavity 125). Alternatively, there may be a plurality of volume settings or a dynamic range of volume settings. The fluid 112 is preferably a substantially incompressible fluid, but may alternatively be a compressible fluid. The fluid 112 is preferably a liquid (such as water, glycerin, or ethylene glycol), but may alternatively be a gas (such as air, nitrogen, or argon) or any other substance (such as a gel or aerogel) that expands the cavity 125 and deforms the surface 115. The fluid 112 may also function to direct selected wavelengths of light, such as UV light, to desired portions of the sheet 102, due to wavelength specific refractive index changes. In the extended volume setting, the cavity 125 deforms the particular region 113 of the surface 115 above the plane of the other regions of the surface 115. When used with a mobile phone device, the cavity 125 preferably has a diameter of 2-10 mm. When used with this or other applications, however, the cavity 125 may have any suitable dimension.

The shape of the deformation of the particular region 113 is preferably one that is felt by a user through their finger and preferably acts as (1) a button that can be pressed by the user (as shown in FIG. 9), (2) a slider that can be pressed by the user in one location along the slider or that can be swept in a sliding motion along the slider (such as the “click wheel” of the Apple iPod (second generation)) (as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11), and/or (3) a pointing stick that can be pressed by the user from multiple directions and/or locations along the surface whereby the user is provided with tactile feedback that distinguishes a first directional touch from a second directional touch and/or a touch in a first location from a touch in a second location (such as the pointing stick trademarked by IBM as the TRACKPOINT and by Synaptics as the TOUCHSTYK (which are both informally known as the “nipple”)) (as shown in FIG. 12). The deformation may, however, act as any other suitable device or method that provides suitable tactile guidance and feedback. In the variation including a display 150, the shape of the deformation of the particular region 113 also preferably functions to minimize the optical distortion of the image underneath the deformed particular region 113.

4. The Sensor

The sensor 140 is preferably a resistive sensor 140 that is preferably arranged in one of four preferred embodiments: a first and a second preferred embodiment that includes a tactile layer that includes the sheet 102, the volume of fluid 112, and/or the displacement device 130 and a resistive touch sensitive layer 500 that is external to the tactile layer that functions as the resistive sensor 140; a third preferred embodiment where the resistive sensor is integrated into the fluid vessel 127; and a fourth preferred embodiment where the sheet 102 is integrated into a resistive touch sensitive layer 500 a (or, in other words, a resistive touch sensitive layer that includes deformable regions).

In the first and second preferred embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 of the preferred embodiments (as seen from a side view) preferably includes a top layer 501 that is relatively pliable (for example, a plastic material such as PET) and preferably includes a first set of electrical conductors 511 and preferably a bottom layer 503 that that is relatively un-pliable (for example, a glass material) and includes a second set of electrical conductors 513. The first set of electrical conductors 511 may include a conductive coating on the bottom surface of the top layer 501 and a voltage gradient applied across the conductive surface in a horizontal direction and the second set of electrical conductors 513 may include a second conductive coating on the top surface of the bottom layer 503 and a second voltage gradient applied across the second conductive surface in a vertical direction. When a user deforms the top pliable layer 501 towards the bottom un-pliable layer 503 (as shown by the arrow and the dotted deformation in FIG. 13) the distance between the first and second sets of electrical conductors decrease and may come into contact or into proximity with each other proximal to the location where the user deforms the top layer, affecting the resistance between the first and second conductors, and the location and the presence of a user input is detected by evaluating the signals from the electrical conductors. Alternatively, the top layer 501 may include a conductor that includes a detectable electrical property that changes with the shape of the conductor and/or the strain experienced by the conductor. For example, as a user deforms the top layer 501 the conductor of the top layer 501 may change shape from the force provided by the user and/or experience strain from the force provided by the user, which may affect the electrical property of the conductor. This change in electrical property may be detected to detect a user input. However, any other suitable type of detection of the user input using a top layer 501 that deforms relative to the bottom layer 503 with the user input may be used. The resistive touch sensitive layer 500 preferably also includes spacers 505 that separate the top and bottom layers 501 and 503 to prevent undesired contact between the first and second sets of electrical conductors. The spacers 505 may include a top spacer and a bottom spacer. The top spacer may be mounted or otherwise coupled to the top layer 501 and the bottom spacer may be mounted or otherwise coupled to the bottom layer 503, and then assembled together to form the spacer 505.

In the first preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS. 14 a and 14 b, the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 functions as the resistive sensor 14 o and is external to the sheet 102. The resistive touch layer 50 o and the sheet 102 is preferably arranged such that an inward deformation the particular region 113 of the sheet 102 extends beyond the bottom surface of the sheet 102 and comes into contact with and deforms the top layer 501 of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 to cause contact or proximity between the top layer 501 and the bottom layer 503 of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500, as shown in FIG. 14 b. The deformation of the top of the cavity 125 may be a deformation from the expanded state as well as a deformation from the retracted state. As shown in FIG. 14 c, deformation of the surface 115 at a location other than the particular region 113 may also cause the top layer 501 to move towards and/or come into contact with the bottom layer 503. The top layer 501 of the first preferred embodiment is preferably composed of a material that is substantially pliable to facilitate the user in providing an input by decreasing the amount of force necessary to deflect both the deformed surface 113 of the sheet 102 and the top layer 501. The top layer 501 may alternatively be of a material thickness that allows for substantial pliability. The same material but of different thicknesses may be used between the sheet 102 and the top layer 501, which may facilitate coupling the sheet 102 to the resistive touch sensitive layer 500. Additionally, because the sheet 102 is placed over the resistive touch sensitive layer 500, the top layer 501 may be less likely to be accidentally flexed to cause undesired contact between the top layer 501 and the bottom layer 503 and a more pliable material may be used for the top layer 501.

The cavity 125 portion of the fluid vessel 127 of the sheet 102 may be arranged with no particular relationship with the spacers 505 of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500. In other words, the cavity 125 may be sized and arranged within the sheet 102 without substantial regard for the location of the spacers 505. Alternatively, the cavity 125 portion of the fluid vessel 127 may be substantially aligned in between at least two of the spacers 505 of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500. As shown in FIG. 14 a, each cavity 125 may span the distance between two spacers 505, but may alternatively span the distance between three, four, or any other suitable number of spacers 505 to achieve a suitable surface area of the corresponding particular region 113. For example, the spacers 505 may be spaced substantially close together such that a cavity 125 that spans the distance between two spacers 505 may be too small to be distinguished by the finger of the user and, to decrease manufacturing difficulty and increase tactile guidance to the user, the cavity 125 may span across several spacers 505. In this variation, inward deformation of any portion of the particular region 113 preferably causes the top layer 501 to come into contact with the bottom layer 503 at the location corresponding to the inwardly deformed portion of the particular region 113. Because the particular region 113 may span over a larger portion of the top layer 501, a larger portion of the first and second sets of sensors of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 may be included within the region occupied by the particular region 113, which may allow user inputs at a first portion of the particular region 113 to be distinguishable from a second portion of the particular region 113, allowing detection of directional input and/or regional input along the particular region 113. For example, in the variation where the deformation of the particular region 113 functions as a directional pointing stick as shown in FIG. 12, the detection of the location of the contact between the top layer 501 and the bottom layer 503 relative to the overall geometry of the deformed particular region 113 may indicate the direction input desired by the user. Alternatively, to increase flexibility in the tactile guidance provided to the user, the cavity 125 may span the distance between two spacers 505 and a combination of the expansion of several cavities 125 in relative close proximity with each other and their corresponding particular surfaces 113 may be used to provide tactile guidance to the user. However, any other suitable arrangement between the spacers 505 and the cavity 125 may be used.

In a first variation of the first preferred embodiment, the top layer 501 may function as the bottom boundary of the fluid vessel 127, as shown in FIGS. 14 a and 14 b. In a second variation of the first preferred embodiment, the sheet 102 may alternatively fully define the fluid vessel 127, as shown in FIG. 15 a, where the inward deformation of the sheet 102 when the user provides a user input preferably comes into contact with the bottom of the cavity 125, deflects the bottom of the cavity 125, and then deforms the top layer 501 of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 to cause contact between the top layer 501 and the bottom layer 503. In this second variation of the preferred embodiment, to provide an input, the user provides a force to inwardly deform the top of the cavity 125, the bottom of the cavity 125, and the top layer 501. Thus, a substantially pliable material is preferably used for the top layer 501 at the location corresponding to the particular region 113 to decrease the total force required of the user. In addition, in the variation where the sheet 102 is composed of a plurality of layers, the bottom of the cavity 125 may be composed of a material that is relatively more pliable than the other layers of the sheet 102. However, any other suitable materials for the sheet 102 and the top layer 501 may be used.

The sheet 102 is preferably mechanically coupled to the top layer 501 of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500. An adhesive such as epoxy, pressure-sensitive adhesive, or transparent double-sided tape may be used. Alternatively, the sheet 100 and the top layer 501 may be made of material that may be bonded using a welding process such one that uses heat, ultrasonic waves, or high pressure. The sheet 102 and the top layer 501 may also be plasma treated to prepare for bonding. However, any other suitable method or material used to mechanically couple the sheet 102 to the top layer 501 may be used. The bottom surface of the sheet 102 may be substantially continuously coupled to the top layer 501, but may alternatively include portions of the surface that are coupled and portions of the surface that are left uncoupled to the top layer 501. For example, in the second variation where the sheet 102 fully defines the cavity 125 as shown in FIG. 15 a, as the inward deformation of the sheet 102 pushes against the top layer 110 as the user provides an input, the material of the bottom of the cavity 125 and the material of the top layer 501 may stretch and change shape at different rates and different locations, respectively, potentially causing relative movement between the sheet 102 and the top layer 110. If this relative movement were prevented by fully bonding the bottom of the cavity 125 to the top layer 501, the user may not be able to cause the top layer 501 to come into contact with the bottom layer 503 and a user input will not be registered. To allow for the relative movement, the sheet 102 is preferably bonded to the top layer 501 at portions of the bottom surface of the sheet 102 that do not deform and/or portions of the bottom surface of the sheet 102 that do not correspond to locations on the top layer 501 that deform. Alternatively, the bottom of the cavity 125 and the top layer 501 may be fully bonded and the geometric and/or material differences between the bottom of the cavity 125 and the top layer 501 may be utilized to allow the top layer 501 to suitably move towards the bottom layer 503 to register a user input. In a second example, the sheet 102 and top layer 501 may include features that facilitate coupling and the sheet 102 and the top layer 501 may be coupled only at the locations where the features are present. For example, in the variation where the sheet 102 and the top layer 501 are coupled using an ultrasonic welding process, a geometry that functions as an energy director to concentrate the energy from the ultrasonic welding process may be built into the sheet 102 to facilitate coupling at the location of the energy director. In a third example, the sheet 102 and top layer 501 may each include a secondary material that facilitates bonding between the sheet 102 and top layer 501. For example, to achieve a desired pliability of the sheet 102 and the top layer 501, materials that have substantially low bonding properties may be selected. To sufficiently bond the sheet 102 and the top layer 501, a secondary material (such as Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) in the case of ultrasonic welding) may be coupled to each of the sheet 102 and the top layer 501 and then bonded together to couple the sheet 102 to the top layer 501. In a third example, a selective coating may be used between the sheet 102 and the resistive touch sensitive layer 500. For example, the coating may be placed over an adhesive to prevent adhesion between certain portions of the sheet 102 and the top layer 501 or an adhesive may be selectively coated onto the bottom of the surface 110 and/or the top layer 501 to function as an adhesive in the desired locations. However, any other suitable arrangement of the coupling of the sheet 102 to the top layer 501 may be used.

The second preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, is substantially similar to the first preferred embodiment. The resistive sensor is included into a resistive touch sensitive layer 500 that is preferably of the type as described above and the sheet 102 is placed over the resistive touch sensitive layer 500. In the second preferred embodiment, however, the inward deformation of the top of the cavity 125 of the sheet 102 does not extend beyond the bottom surface of the sheet 102. In the second preferred embodiment, the volume of the fluid 112 is preferably static inside the cavity 125 once the cavity 125 has been expanded (for example, through the use of a valve as mentioned above in the description for the displacement device 130). The fluid 112 is preferably also incompressible, thus allowing the inward deformation of the particular region 113 to cause corresponding downward deformation of the bottom of the cavity 125, which in turn pushes against the top layer 501 and causes contact between the top layer 501 and the bottom layer 503. This decreases the amount of inward deformation of the particular region 113 required of the user in order to provide a user input. As in the first preferred embodiment, a user input may be detected at locations on the surface 115 other than at the particular region 113. In the variation of the sheet 102 that includes a fluid outlet layer, as shown in FIGS. 4 a, 16 a, and 16 b, the second preferred embodiment allows the inward deformation of the particular region 113 to cause the bottom layer of the cavity 125 to move the top layer 501 towards the bottom layer 503 without the inward deformation of the particular region 113 going past the support element 112, as shown in FIG. 16 b. Alternatively, the support element 112 may also inwardly deform while providing the desired support for the particular region 113. In this second preferred embodiment, because of the additional energy necessary to displace the fluid 112 and to deform the bottom of the cavity 125 (in addition to potential imperfections in the sealing of the cavity 125 and the fluid 112 not being truly incompressible), the top layer 501 is preferably composed of a relatively pliable material. Similar to the second variation of the first preferred embodiment, the bottom of the cavity 125 may be made of a relatively more pliable material than the rest of the sheet 102 while still less pliable than the top of the cavity 125 such that the expansion of the cavity 125 by the displacement device 130 will not cause the bottom of the cavity 125 to expand out into the top layer 501 and cause undesired inputs. As in the first preferred embodiment, the pliability characteristics of the layers may be adjusted through material selection and/or material thickness selection. Because of this feature, the balance of pliability characteristics between the top of the cavity 125, the bottom of the cavity 125, and the top layer 501 in the second preferred embodiment has a significant impact on the function and feel of the user interface system 100. However, any other suitable material may be used. The portion of the bottom of the cavity 125 that is pliable may alternatively be of a smaller surface area than the particular region 113, allowing a smaller inward displacement of the top of the cavity 125 to achieve a larger inward displacement of the bottom of the cavity 125 for the same volume of fluid that is displaced. In all other respects, the user interface system of the second preferred embodiment is preferably similar or identical to the first preferred embodiment.

In the third preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 17 a and 17 b, the resistive sensor 140 is integrated into the sheet 102. A first electrical conductor 511 a is preferably located in an upper portion of the sheet 102 and a second electrical conductor 513 a is preferably located at a lower portion of the sheet 102. In a preferred variation, the first electrical conductor 511 a is preferably located at the top of the cavity 125 and a second electrical conductor 513 a is preferably locate at the bottom of the cavity 125, as shown in FIG. 17 a. However, the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a may be located in a region other than the particular region 113 and/or the fluid vessel 127 to allow detection of a user input outside of the particular region 113 and/or the fluid vessel 127. In the variation of the sheet 102 that includes a support element 112 as shown in FIG. 13, the second electrical conductor 513 a may alternatively be located at the support element 112. As the user inwardly deforms the particular region 113, the top of the cavity 125 is pushed towards the bottom of the cavity 125 and, upon contact or close proximity of the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a, a user input is detected by the resistive sensor 140, as shown in FIG. 17 b. In the variation where the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a are located in a region other than the particular region 113 and/or the fluid vessel 127, the material of the sheet 102 may be compressible to allow for a user force to compress the material to bring the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a into contact or close proximity. In the variation where the sheet 102 is composed of a plurality of layers of either the same material or of different materials, the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 b are preferably layered into the sheet 102 during the manufacturing process. Alternatively, in the variation where the sheet 102 is composed of a layer portion 110 and a substrate portion 120 as shown in FIGS. 4, 17 a, and 17 b, the first electrical conductor 511 a may be bonded or coated onto the underside of the layer portion 110 and into the bottom of the cavity 125 of the substrate portion 120. However, any other suitable arrangement of the first and second conductors 511 a and 513 a may be used.

To decrease the visibility of the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a, the electrical conductors 511 a and 513 b are preferably transparent and/or with a refractive index that is matched with the sheet 102 and/or the fluid 112. The electrical conductors 511 a and 513 b may alternatively be substantially thin and relatively difficult to perceive with the human eye (for example, 10 microns wide). This is particularly useful when the user interface system is placed over a display 150 and the image displayed by the display 150 is preferably transmitted uniformly through the user interface system. The first electrical conductor 511 a is also preferably a flexible material to allow the top of the cavity 125 to extend down to contact or approach the bottom of the cavity 125. A transparent conductive oxide such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO), Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO), or Zn-doped indium oxide (IZO) may be used as transparent flexible electrical conductors. Alternatively, conductive polymers, conductive ink, or wire or any other material that is difficult to see with the human eye may be used. However, any other suitable conductor may be used for the first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a.

In the variation where the first and second electrical conductors are located within the fluid vessel 127 and/or the particular region 113, the first and second electrical conductors are preferably located within the expanding portion of the fluid vessel 127, for example, the cavity 125. In particular, the first electrical conductor is preferably located in a substantially central location on the top of the cavity 125 and/or at a substantially central location relative to the particular region 113, which are areas that are relatively easy to displace (as compared to the perimeter of the top of the cavity 125 and the particular region 113), thus facilitating the user in providing a user input. Additionally, in the variation where the deformation of the particular region 113 functions as a button, locating the first electrical conductor 511 a in a substantially centralized location on the top of the cavity 125 and/or particular region 113 is particularly useful because the user may also be inclined to provide a user input by inwardly deforming the portion of the particular region 113 that is substantially in the center. Alternatively, the first electrical conductor 511 a may be located across the substantially the entire top of the cavity 125 such that an input from any location along the top of the cavity 125 and/or the particular region 113 may be detected. Yet alternatively, the first electrical conductor 511 a may be located only in certain portions of the top of the cavity 125 such that user input only at locations of the particular region 113 that correspond to the certain portions of the top of the cavity 125 that include the first electrical conductor may be detected. In this variation, the first electrical conductor 511 a may include geometry that corresponds to the desired detectable locations of the top of the cavity 125. However, any other suitable arrangement of the first electrical conductor 511 a may be used.

The second electrical conductor 513 a is preferably located in substantially central to the bottom of the cavity 125 because, as the user provides a user input by inwardly deforming the particular region 113, the deforming portion of the sheet 102 may be guided towards the central portion of the bottom of the cavity 125 by the side walls of the cavity 125. Alternatively, the second electrical conductor may be located substantially across the entire bottom of the cavity 125 such that contact or proximity with the first electrical conductor 511 a at any location along the bottom of the cavity 125 may be detected. Yet alternatively, the second electrical conductor may be located across the side walls of the cavity 125 to allow any contact or proximity with the first electrical conductor 511 a along the side walls of the cavity 125 to be detected as a user input. This may allow user input to be detected with a smaller displacement of the first electrical conductor 511 a relative to the second electrical conductor. The smaller displacement may decrease the forced required to provide a user input. In this variation, the second electrical conductor 513 a may be located on both the bottom and the side walls of the cavity 125 or may alternatively be located only on the side walls of the cavity 125. Similarly to the first electrical conductor 511 a, the second electrical conductor 513 a may be located only in certain portions of the bottom and/or the side walls of the cavity 125 such that contact with the top of the cavity 125 only at locations of the bottom and/or side walls of the cavity 125 that include the second electrical conductor 513 a may be detected. In this variation, the second electrical conductor 513 a may include geometry that corresponds to the desired detectable locations of the bottom and/or side walls of the cavity 125. However, any other suitable arrangement of the second electrical conductor 513 a may be used.

Each cavity 125 may include one first and one second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a. Each cavity 125 may alternatively include one first electrical conductor 511 a that corresponds with a plurality of second electrical conductors 513 a or vice versa. For example, a primary second electrical conductor 513 a may be located on the bottom of the cavity 125, a secondary second electrical conductor 513 a may be located on the side walls of the cavity 125, and one first electrical conductor 511 a may be located on the top of the cavity 125. In this variation, an inward deformation of the top of the cavity 125 from a force substantially perpendicular to the surface 115 will cause the first electrical conductor to come into contact or close proximity with the primary second electrical conductor 513 a at the bottom of the cavity 125 while an inward deformation of the top of the cavity 125 from a force that is not substantially perpendicular to the surface 115 will cause the first electrical conductor 511 a to come into contact or close proximity with the secondary second electrical conductor 513 a on a side wall of the cavity 125. This may allow for the user interface system to detect the direction of a user input. Additionally, each wall may include a separate second electrical conductor 513 a to further increase the ability to determine the direction of the user input. Alternatively, a plurality of second electrical conductors 513 a may be included on the bottom of the cavity 125 or on each of the side walls of the cavity 125. In a reverse relationship, one second electrical conductor 513 a may be located on the bottom and/or the side walls of the cavity 125 and a plurality of first electrical conductors 511 a may be located on the top of the cavity 125 to achieve a similar directional detection of user input. Similarly, each cavity 125 may alternatively include a plurality of first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a and the detection of contact between any first and any second electrical conductor may indicate the direction or any other suitable information on the user input. However, any other suitable arrangement or number of first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a may be used.

In the fourth preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS. 18 a, 18 b and 18 c, the user interface system is integrated into a resistive touch sensitive layer, as shown in the integrated resistive touch sensitive layer 500 a in FIG. 18, that provides substantially accurate detection of the locations of user inputs. The fourth preferred embodiment may alternatively be thought of as a resistive touch sensitive layer with surface deforming capabilities. As shown in FIG. 18 a, the fourth preferred embodiment preferably utilizes the construction of a resistive touch sensitive layer as described above with a top layer 501 a, a bottom layer 503 a, spacers 505 a, a first set of electrical conductors 511 a, and a second set of electrical conductors 513 a. The fourth preferred embodiment preferably also includes a seal 502 that cooperates with the top and bottom layers 501 a and 503 a to at least partially define a fluid vessel between the top layer and the bottom layer. The region of the top and bottom layers 501 a and 503 a that cooperate with the seal to define the fluid vessel 127 preferably includes at least a portion of the first and second set of conductors such that an input at the fluid vessel 127 is detectable. To increase the sensitivity to the location of the user input relative to the particular region 113 (or other portions of the fluid vessel 127), a larger portion of the first and second set of conductors may be included within the particular region 113 (or other portions of the fluid vessel 127) of the defined fluid vessel 127. In other words, if the first and second set of conductors can distinguish between a first user input and a second user input that are at a minimum distance of X apart, a particular region 113 is preferably larger than X to distinguish a first user input at a first location relative to the particular region 113 and a second user input at a second location relative to the particular region 113. The user interface system 100 may also include a fluid outlet layer as described above between the top layer 501 a and the bottom layer 503 a. In this fourth preferred embodiment, the top layer 501 a functions to define the surface 115 and cooperate with the spacers 505 a and the bottom layer 503 a to form the sheet 102 and to define the fluid vessel 127. The fluid vessel 127 is then filled with a fluid 112 and preferably expands (as shown by the dotted line representing the expanded particular region 113 in FIG. 18 a) and retracts with manipulation of the volume of the fluid 112 similarly or identically to the fluid vessel 127 as described above. The first set of electrical conductors 511 a preferably also expands along with the top layer 501 a. Alternatively, the first electrical conductors 511 a may be located on the fluid outlet layer that remains relatively stationary and may not expand along with the top layer 501 a. However, any other suitable arrangement of the electrical conductors may be used.

The seal 502 is preferably formed using the spacers 505 a. In the preferred embodiments, the spacers 505 a are preferably bonded to the top layer 501 a and/or the bottom layer 503 a to form a substantially leak tight fluid vessel. As shown in FIG. 18, a portion of the fluid vessel 127 (such as the channel 138) may be substantially defined by the bottom layer 503 a that is coupled to a channel 138 while the expanding portion of the fluid vessel 127 (such as the cavity 125) is cooperatively defined by the top layer 501 a, bottom layer 503 a, and the seal 502. Such bonded spacers 505 a are hereafter referred to as “boundary-spacers.” In the variation where the spacers 505 a are composed of a top component and a bottom component which are then assembled to form the spacer 505 a, the top component and the bottom component are preferably fused together to form a continuous spacer 505 b that is substantially leak tight wall to the fluid vessel 127 to form the seal 502, as shown in FIGS. 18 a, 18 b, and 18 c. Similar to the methods used to bond the sheet 102 to the top layer 501 discussed in the first preferred embodiment, spacers 505 a (and the top and bottom components of the spacers 505 b, where appropriate) may be bonded to the top layer 501 a and the bottom 503 a using heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or any other suitable process that creates a substantially leak tight seal. However, the seal 502 may alternatively be assembled into the space between the top and bottom layers 501 a and 503 a and may be separate from the spacers 505 a. For example, the seal 502 may be a balloon that is assembled into the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 a and the top and bottom layers 501 a and 503 a may function to shape the balloon into the fluid vessel 127. However, any other suitable seal may be used to define the fluid vessel 127.

As shown in FIG. 18 a, a cavity 125 and/or the fluid vessel 127 may span the space in between two spacers 505. Alternatively, because the number and frequency of spacers 505 a may be related to the desired flatness of the surface 115 and the optical quality of the sheet 102 (for example, the higher the number and the higher the frequency of spacers 505 a, the flatter the surface 115, the flatter the surface 115, the higher the optical quality of the sheet 102), the spacers 505 a may be located at such a close proximity to each other that the corresponding particular region 113 to a cavity 125 and/or fluid vessel 127 that spanned between only two spacers 505 a would most likely not be felt by the finger of a user. In this variation, the cavity 125 may span the space between three, four, or any other suitable number of spacers 505 to achieve a suitably sized cavity 125 and corresponding particular region 113, as shown in FIG. 18 b. To achieve the larger span of the cavity 125, the spacers 505 a that are in between the boundary-spacers 505 b of the cavity 125 are preferably not bonded to the top and bottom layers 501 a and 503 a to form a leak tight seal, allowing the fluid 112 to communicate throughout the volume of the desired cavity 125 such that manipulation of the volume of fluid 112 within the fluid vessel 127 will expand the fluid vessel 127 and cause the particular region 113 to deform outward. The expansion of the fluid vessel 127 preferably causes the top layer 501 a to separate from the spacer that does not define the wall of the fluid vessel 127. Alternatively, the spacer 505 a may also stretch and elongate to follow the expansion of the fluid vessel 127. In this variation of the spacer 505 a, the spacer 505 a is preferably composed of a substantially pliable material, function to manipulate the shape of the deformation of the particular region 113 and/or preferably maintain refractive properties to decrease visibility as the material stretches. Yet alternatively, in the variation of the spacer 505 a that is composed of a top component and a bottom component, the top component may expand with the top layer 501 a, as shown by the dotted line representing the particular region 113 in FIG. 18 b. However, any other suitable bonding and expansion arrangement between a non-boundary-spacer 505 a and the top layer 501 a may be used. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 18 c, the non-boundary-spacers 505 a may be removed. An advantage provided by this variation is that a user input that inwardly deforms the particular region 113 will not be hindered by the presence of spacers within the cavity 125. Alternatively, to increase flexibility in the tactile guidance provided to the user, the cavity 125 and/or fluid vessel 127 may span the distance between two spacers 505 a and a combination of the expansion of several cavities 125 in relative close proximity with each other and their corresponding particular surfaces 113 may be used to provide tactile guidance to the user. The user interface system may also include a combination of various sizes of cavities 125 (as shown in FIGS. 18 b and 18 c). However, any other suitable size of cavity 125 relative to the spacers 505 may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 18 a, 18 b, and 18 c, the boundary-spacers 505 b preferably function to at least partially define one the fluid vessel 127 in only a portion of the top and bottom layers 501 a and 503 a. In other words, there is at least a space in the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 in between two boundary-spacers 505 b that does not contain a fluid vessel 127. To decrease the visible difference between portions of the user interface 125 that include the fluid vessel 127 and portions that do not include the fluid vessel 127, the portions that do not include a fluid vessel 127 may also be filled with the fluid 112 or a fluid with substantially similar optical properties to the fluid 112 to allow light to refract through the sheet 100 in a substantially uniform manner. The portions that do not include a fluid vessel 127 may alternatively be filled with a gas, another type of fluid, or any other suitable material that allows for substantially uniform refraction of light through the sheet 102.

The top layer 501 a is preferably composed of a flexible material that allows the expansion and retraction of the cavity 125 and the deformation of the particular region 113 (such as the materials mentioned above in the description for the sheet 102). The material of the top layer 501 a is also preferably of the type that allows for conductor sets 511 a and 513 a that allow for substantially accurate sensing capabilities in the user interface system 100 to be used. However, any other suitable material may be used for the top layer 501 a.

The bottom layer 503 a is preferably composed of a material that allows for conductor sets 511 a and 513 a that allow for substantially accurate sensing capabilities in the user interface system 100 to be used. Additionally, the bottom layer 503 a may be composed of a material and of a material thickness that allows for the bottom layer 503 a to include a channel 138, as described above. The channel 138 may be fluidly coupled to the displacement device 130 to allow for the passage of fluid 112 in the second variation of the displacement device 130. As mentioned above, the bottom layer 503 a is typically made of a glass material. To accommodate for the channel 138, the bottom layer 503 a may be composed of a plurality of layers of a silicone material, an elastomeric material, or any of the materials mentioned in the description for the sheet 102 that is unpliable relative to the top layer 501 a to allow for inward deformation of the top layer 501 a to cause the first set of electrical conductors 511 a to come into contact with the second set of electrical conductors 513 a. However, any other suitable material may be used for the bottom layer 503 a.

The substantially accurate sensing capabilities due to the arrangement of first and second electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a of the resistive touch sensitive layer 500 a may allow the user interface system to detect more accurately the details of a user input, for example, the direction, the location of the user input relative to the geometry of the particular region 113, the proportion of the surface area of the particular region 113 upon which the user is providing an inward deformation force, the occurrence of multiple user inputs (commonly known as “multi-touch”), the rate the inward deformation of the particular region 113 (for example, when the user causes contact between the first and second sets of electrical conductors 511 a and 513 a, because of the shape of the finger of the user, certain conductors will come into contact before others, and the time lapse in between contact events can be used to determine the rate of the inward deformation of the particular region 113), or any other suitable detail of the user input.

As described above, the sensor 140 is preferably a resistive sensor of an embodiment described above. Alternatively, the sensor 140 may be any other suitable type of sensor that senses a user input based on the deformation of a top layer 501 or 501 a that results from a user input provided on the surface 115. For example, the first and second set of electrical conductors 511, 511 a, 513, and/or 513 a may function as capacitive sensors that emit and detect an electromagnetic field and that detect that capacitance and/or change in capacitance between the first and second set of conductors to detect a user input. In other words, as the user deforms the top layer 501 or 501 a, the capacitance between the portions of the first and second set of conductors substantially proximal to the location of the user input may change. The change in capacitance may be the result of the change in the distance between the first and second set of conductors substantially proximal to the location of the user input, but may alternatively be the result of the change in the volume of fluid 112 between the first and second set of conductors substantially proximal to the location of the user input. In this variation, the fluid 112 may function as a dielectric between the first and second sets of conductors that provides a variable capacitance between the first and second sets of conductors as the volume of fluid 112 between the conductors changes. This may be particularly applicable in variations of the fluid 112 that are electrically conducting or insulating that may affect the electromagnetic coupling between the first and second set of conductors, for example, fluids with conductive/insulative properties, fluids that include suspensions or dispersions of particles with relevant relevant electrical and optical properties, or any other suitable type of fluid. Alternatively, the material of the sheet 102 may function as a dielectric between the first and second sets of conductors that changes as the force of the user input deforms the sheet 102. However, any other suitable material within the use interface system 100 may function as a variable dielectric as the user provides a user input that deforms the top layer. In a second example, the first and second set of electrical conductors 511, 511 a, 513, and/or 513 a may function as an inductive sensor where one of the first and second set of electrical conductors emit an electromagnetic field and the other of the first and second set of electrical conductors functions as a conductor that modifies the electromagnetic field in a detectable manner (for example, as the top layer moves closer or farther away from the bottom layer) and a user input is detected. However, any other suitable type of detection of the user input using a top layer 501 that deforms relative to the bottom layer 503 with the user input may be used.

As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention defined in the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A user interface system for receiving a user input comprising: a sheet defining a cavity, a tactile surface, a peripheral region on the tactile surface, a deformable region on the tactile surface adjacent the peripheral region and arranged over the cavity, and a fluid channel fluidly coupled to the cavity, the cavity defining a base opposite the deformable region; a displacement device fluidly coupled to the cavity and displacing fluid into the cavity to transition the deformable region from a retracted setting into an expanded setting, the deformable region tactilely distinguishable from the peripheral region at the tactile surface in the expanded setting; and a sensor layer coupled to the sheet opposite the tactile surface, comprising a backing sublayer, and comprising a first conductor and a second conductor arranged between the sheet and the backing sublayer, the second conductor electrically coupled to, adjacent, and offset from the first conductor opposite the sheet; wherein the base of the cavity deforms inwardly toward the sensor layer in response to an input on the deformable region; and wherein the first conductor shifts toward the second conductor in response to inward deformation of the base of the cavity.
 2. The user interface system of claim 1, further comprising a set spacers laterally offset from each side of the first conductor and the second conductor and coupling the backing sublayer to the sheet.
 3. The user interface system of claim 2, wherein the sheet comprises a relatively elastic material; and wherein spacers in the set of spacers comprise a relatively rigid material and are arranged below the peripheral region.
 4. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the sheet comprises a tactile layer defining the tactile surface and a substrate interposed between the tactile layer and the sensor layer, the tactile layer and the substrate cooperating to enclose the cavity adjacent the deformable region, and the substrate defining the base of the cavity; and wherein the first conductor is connected to the substrate and extends from the substrate toward the second conductor.
 5. The user interface system of claim 4, wherein the substrate further comprises a support member extending across the cavity adjacent the deformable region, the deformable region in contact with the support member in the retracted setting and elevated off of the support member in the expanded setting, the support member supporting the deformable region against inward deformation into the cavity.
 6. The user interface system of claim 5, wherein the support member defines a set of ports communicating fluid between the cavity and a back surface of the tactile layer at the deformable region.
 7. The user interface system of claim 4, wherein the tactile layer comprises a first material of a first rigidity; wherein the substrate comprises a second material of a second rigidity greater than the first rigidity; and wherein the deformable region of the tactile preferentially deforms outwardly in response to displacement of fluid into the cavity via the fluid channel by the displacement device.
 8. The user interface system of claim 7, wherein the base of the cavity deforms inwardly toward the sensor layer in response to an input on the deformable region that increases fluid pressure within the cavity.
 9. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the tactile surface is substantially planar across the peripheral region and the deformable region in the retracted setting, and wherein the deformable region is offset above the peripheral region in the expanded setting.
 10. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the displacement device comprises a pump and a reservoir containing fluid, the pump displacing fluid out of the reservoir and into the reservoir, via the fluid channel, to transition the deformable region from the retracted setting into the expanded setting, and the pump displacing fluid out of the cavity and into the reservoir, via the fluid channel, to transition the deformable region from the expanded setting into the retracted setting.
 11. The user interface system of claim 1, further comprising a processor electrically coupled to the first conductor and correlating a change in electrical coupling between the first conductor and the second conductor with an input on the tactile surface.
 12. The user interface system of claim 11, wherein the processor correlates a magnitude of change in an electrical resistance between the first conductor and the second conductor with magnitude of the input on the tactile surface at the deformable region, the electrical resistance between the first conductor and the second conductor a function of a distance between the first conductor and the second conductor.
 13. The user interface system of claim 12, wherein the processor correlates a rate of the change in the electrical resistance between the first conductor and the second with a rate of application of the input onto the deformable region.
 14. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the first conductor is coupled to the base of the cavity.
 15. The user interface system of claim 14, wherein a portion of the first conductor is arranged inside the cavity.
 16. The user interface system of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the sensor layer opposite the sheet, the sheet and the sensor layer comprising substantially transparent materials.
 17. The user interface system of claim 16, wherein the display renders an image of a virtual key coincident the deformable region in the expanded setting.
 18. The user interface system of claim 1: wherein the sheet defines a second deformable region on the tactile surface and a second cavity distinct from the cavity, the second deformable region adjacent the peripheral region and arranged over the second cavity, the second cavity fluidly coupled to the fluid channel and defining a second base opposite the second deformable region; wherein the displacement device displaces fluid into the second cavity to transition each of the deformable region and the second deformable region from the retracted setting into the expanded setting, the second deformable region tactilely distinguishable from the peripheral region and the deformable region at the tactile surface in the expanded setting; wherein the sensor layer further comprises a third conductor and a fourth conductor arranged between the backing sublayer and the second base of the second cavity, the fourth conductor electrically coupled to, adjacent, and offset from the third conductor opposite the sheet; and wherein the second base of the second cavity deforms inwardly toward the sensor layer in response to an input on the second deformable region distinct from an input on the deformable region, and wherein the third conductor shifts toward the fourth conductor in response to inward deformation of the second base of the second cavity.
 19. The user interface system of claim 0, wherein the sensor layer further comprises an interface sublayer interposed between the sheet and the backing sublayer, the interface sublayer cooperating with the backing sublayer to enclose the first conductor and the second conductor.
 20. The user interface system of claim 1: wherein the first conductor and the second conductor are arranged under the base of the cavity; wherein the sensor layer further comprises a third conductor and a fourth conductor arranged between the backing sublayer and the sheet and under the peripheral region, the fourth conductor electrically coupled to, adjacent, and offset from the third conductor opposite the sheet; and wherein the sheet at the peripheral region deforms inwardly toward the sensor layer in response to an input on the peripheral region distinct from an input on the deformable region, and wherein the third conductor shifts toward the fourth conductor in response to inward deformation of the sheet at the peripheral region.
 21. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the sensor layer cooperates with the sheet to define the cavity and the fluid channel. 